Rosie O’Donnell Confirms Rosie Perez’s Return To ‘The View’

Rosie O’Donnell has confirmed that “The View” co-host Rosie Perez is not quitting the popular talk show after just four months on the air. O’Donnell says Perez will be back in her co-host seat right after she finishes rehearsing for her upcoming play.

During a segment on the show this past Thursday, O’Donnell took the time to stop rumors that Rosie Perez, who has been absent for the last month, would not return.

“No matter what you read anywhere, Rosie Perez is coming back after she is done rehearsing her play,” the comedian told viewers. “Her play… opens soon and then she will be back here soon at her job regardless of what you hear on other shows or read in magazines.”

Executives at ABC News also said that the actress would return. In a statement they said, “Rosie Perez is currently in rehearsal for her Broadway play for the month of January. Her status with the show has not changed.”

On Wednesday reports starting circulating that The Views producers were set to replace Rosie Perez with Glee star Naya Rivera. The rumor also suggests that producers were thinking about canceling the show outright because of Barbara Walters’ retirement, lowering ratings, and squabbles among the show’s stars.

“The brass at ABC feels like they’ve tried to do everything possible to breathe new life into this show,” an insider told Daily Mail. That source also claims that they also attempted to move the talk show from ABC Entertainment Daytime to the ABC News division.

ABC has now outright denied that Rosie Perez was exiting the series or that The View was reaching the end of its lifecycle.